A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left.
Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Is the upturn here?

One of the more interesting aspects of being a CLP Membership Secretary is that you get to see trends in Labour membership.

I've spend my six years as membership secretary charting my CLP's membership going down - gradually at first, then precipitously in 2003 before, during and after the Iraq War, then more gradually again before bottoming out in 2006 - there being pretty much only the "we were born members, we will die members" mob left. Efforts to turn this round with local recruitment have dented the trend but not changed it.

I've just had a quarterly report for the first three months of 2007 showing a nearly 7% increase - a net gain of 36 members. This is the first substantial increase for at least six, possibly ten years, and I guess must reflect people wanting to participate in the leadership election. Most of the increase is in the more middle class wards most affected by the decline since the War. But it seems to be mainly "new" new members not old members rejoining.

Does this reflect what is happening in other CLPs?

Just for any conspiracy theorists the pattern isn't one that suggests it is connected to parliamentary selections or to the recent very competitive Black Socialist Society elections, which have seen very large numbers of members recruited en masse in other parts of London. It looks like this is people signing up of their own accord because they want to take part in the important choices Labour is about to make.

One way to keep them would be to make sure there's a contest. I'm sure people will stay in the party if they are energised by a campaign (whoever they're campaigning for *grins too!*) whatever the result of that campaign ended up being, but I fear we could lose some if come May the MPs have denied them a vote.

I joined the party just over a year ago after voting for Labour for umpty-five years.

It seems that the true labour party was disappearing - morphing into something that did not reflect the manifesto, or the membership. So I felt I should do my bit to bring the party back to its socialist ideals.

Another interesting slant there Luke. In central west Scotland my impression is that morale and activism at the constituency party level remains very low. Doubtless, much of this is a purely 'Scottish Scenario'... Trident replacement, seeming attractions of the 'new and sleaze free' offer of the SNP etc. It also seems that Blair is now a negative on the Scottish scene.

But the other strong factor is the unpopularity of Iraq(that I assume plays elsewhere in the UK?).

I suspect that the imminent arrival of Brown as PM did have a positive effect on membership for awhile; older hands thinking he signaled some sort of return to original values. But that now seems to have waned (maybe as Brown has had to inevitably do a bit of trimming and re-positioning on his way to No 10?)

Nevertheless, there is still much to play for in re-attracting (new)members and activists. I heard First Minister Jack McConnell speak at a recent Poverty Alliance in Scotland launch event in Glasgow; he was well-recieved by a knowing and committed audience.

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About Me

Labour Party activist since 1988 - firmly on the moderate wing of the party. Member of Labour’s NEC 2010-2012. National Secretary of Labour Students 1995-6. Parliamentary candidate for Aldershot (2001) and Castle Point (2005). Hackney Councillor (Chatham Ward) 2002-2014, Labour Group Chief Whip 2002-09, Chair of Health Scrutiny 2010-2014. Supporter of Europe, NATO/nuclear deterrence, Israel, electoral reform. Guardian reader. Dad. Oxford resident. Unite union member. Employment history as a Labour Party Organiser, Local Government Political Assistant, Director at a Public Affairs company. All views expressed in a personal capacity. The rest will become evident from reading the blog.